


Whole Lot of History

by eissam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Ancient History, Blow Jobs, British Museum, Edinburgh, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Inspired by Music, Kissing, Louis Tomlinson Loves Harry Styles, Museums, Photography, Scotland, Scottish Character, Sex, Smut, Students, Tattoos, University Student Harry, University Student Louis, University Student Zayn, i love doing university fics, i think this is my best on yet, matching tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:04:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6154654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eissam/pseuds/eissam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, Louis and Zayn have not long graduated from Edinburgh University and go about their daily life smoking weed, chilling while listening Nirvana and working several jobs in order to get by. Louis works part time in a Starbucks and part time in a museum and is hoping for a job in excavation of areas the former Persian empire following his Ancient History degree he has but on one shift at the museum, a charming, flirtatious Harry Styles turns up with the rest of his Photography class and neither of the pair could envision what was going to happen between them.</p><p>Warnings: recreational drug use (smoking weed).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an ongoing piece of work so there are more chapters to come.

Louis set about his usual morning routine. Shower, clean his teeth, primp himself in a bid to hide the fact he’s had about four hours of sleep in the last two nights (who knew tinted moisturizer made such a good dark-circle cover?) and slip out the door by 6am to make his bus into the other side of the center of town. It was a usual rainy morning in Edinburgh and Louis was on an early shift in the coffee shop that he worked which meant arriving before 7am to stock everything and clean down all the equipment before the 8am rush. Louis didn’t mind his job but just wished that after four years of studying at university he would manage to get a job in what he actually studied, Ancient History. 

History fascinated him ever since he could remember. Being from a home with little income and being in the center of Doncaster, Louis didn’t have much scope for exploring the great outdoors or gaining some expensive hobby, so he would sit in the local library for hours reading about the relationship between ancient Egypt and Rome or why Spain initially colonized the Americas. His dream was to excavate areas of what would have been the Persian Empire and discover things no one had before. But until then, a part time job in Starbucks and a couple nights a week giving tours in the National Museum of Scotland would have to do. Louis knew jobs in his chosen field wouldn’t come to him easily, so he was willing to search and save money until something did. Louis moved to Scotland when he was just 17 to go to Edinburgh uni to pursue his dream career and met his current flat mate (and best friend) Zayn when they were allocated a two bedroom flat together in the university halls in their first year of study. Zayn was a quiet, and as Louis liked to put it, ‘mysterious’ kind of guy who tended to keep himself to himself and loved art. After qualifying in his Fine Art degree the same year as Louis, Zayn picked up a few shifts a week in a small art gallery just off of the Royal Mile in the city center and lucky for him, his boss loved his artwork and agreed to start selling his paintings which gave him a platform to become a proper artist and now has a bit of a name for himself within Edinburgh and Glasgow (he’s from there and still had a lot of friends there which faired him well for selling paintings). Zayn was also unbelievably gorgeous. He had thick black eyebrows, which sat above his beautifully dark eyes and angelically-chiseled face. Louis thought he was going to fall in love with him when they first met, but after soon becoming friends he couldn’t imagine them as a couple at all.

The shift was a busy one. All the usual’s – businessmen and women, all the sales assistants who worked in all the clothes shops along the same street and anyone else working in the city that needed a caffeine boost. Louis got off at one though, which was a nice prospect as he had a shift at the Museum at four and wanted a nap before he started. Luckily, Louis and Zayn had a flat right opposite both the Museum and the gallery in which zayn worked, problem was, in order to get a flat that close to the city center in Edinburgh, it meant it was a dingy little studio with two single beds (basically a dorm room) with a kitchenette and a pathetic excuse for a bathroom. It was theirs though, and they appreciated the location. In the whole scheme of things, it wasn’t that bad. Nothing a few sets of fairy lights and a faux fur rug couldn’t fix.

Once Louis was back at his flat he realized he had some privacy (Zayn got to work Monday to Friday, 9-5. Lucky shit), so stripped down naked and took a thirty minute nap before grabbing another quick shower and heading out across the road to the Museum. He arrived with ten minutes to spare so made a quick cup of tea in the staff room and had a look on the white board which stated who was taking what tours that day and who was just on the floor to help any random tourists who might need it. Because Louis didn’t know any additional languages, he was often put on tours, which were for class trips from local schools and colleges in the hope they would need minimal translation. He scanned over the board to see that he was taking one for a third year Photography class from Edinburgh uni, which was in the portrait and art section of the university. He liked the sound of that, university students meant they usually needed a limited amount of information as they already knew about the things they were being shown and half the time he got a good laugh as they walked round (provided they were a good bunch and not snooty or rude). 

“Louis, that’s your tour group arrived for the portrait exhibition,” said Niall, Louis’ work colleague (that he didn’t know much about but he worked at the museum full time and always kept Louis right so he couldn’t complain, plus, he had a cool Irish accent that Louis liked listening too).

“Just coming mate, cheers,” Louis called back as he laid down his empty cup onto worktop and made his way out to the main lobby. The group was fairly small, maybe about ten students and a lecturer, and they all seemed like they didn’t want to be there, but Louis liked a challenge. “Alright guys, I’m Louis and I’ll be showing you round the exhibition today,” he said, being sure to sound chirpy and endearing, “if any of you have any questions just fire them at me as we walk round and I’ll try and help you out.”

‘Shit, sorry ‘um late guys!” said a low, Cheshire accent from behind where Louis was standing. As he turned to see who it was, he felt his jaw go a little slack. FUCK. This guy was hot. But not like Zac Effron hot. He was like, a mix of Johnny Depp and a young Leonardo DiCaprio kind of hot. He had curly brown locks of hair that we perched just above his shoulders and his skin was slightly tanned, but with the kind of pigmentation that suggested he was of Italian decent. His accent was smooth and rough at the same time and had a dimple on his left cheek surely chiseled from mythical gods (or so Louis thought). Once Louis had shaken himself out of his stupor, the boy had joined the others, “Well, you’re here now, so let’s begin shall we?” Louis smiled and began to lead the group through a large archway and up into the art department. He made a mental note not to make eye contact with the mystery sex-god again or he might have a heart attack. This was going to be a long shift. 

“Okay, and as you can see here, we have a lovely portrait of Mary Queen of Scots. This was believe to have been painted circa 1560 and as you can notice, her milky complexion had been captured beautifully by the artist,” Louis continued, which granted him some nods from around the group. He was nearly finished the tour and for the last hour Harry’s eyes (he discovered that was his name after the lecturer had asked him something earlier on) were on him, burning his skin like laser beams. Louis could tell his forehead was probably sweating but he made an effort to remain calm, “So now that I’ve finished everything I need to show you, have any of you got any questions you would like to ask before I let you loose?”

‘Mhm, I do,” said Harry from the back of the group. Fuck. Louis gulped and tried to contain himself.

“Sure, man, go ahead.”

“What’s your number, Louis?” He said with a smirk. The whole group, including the lecturer, just signed and rolled their eyes simultaneously (clearly he was the class clown). Louis’ eyes widened and his mouth swung slightly open in shock.

“Is that a joke? I meant, like, art related questions…” he trailed off.

“You asked if we had any questions, and that is my question,” Harry drawled with his dimple out in full force. At this point all the other students had started to drift off and the two were alone.

‘Aw, do you hit all your tour guides with that line?” Louis asked, kind of shocked at himself for his unprofessionalism.

“Nope. Only the ones I fancy.” 

“Well, in that case, erm, I guess I do have a phone number.”

“I know you have one, I’m asking you what it is.”

Louis thought about an appropriate response without telling him that he is in love with him already, “Alright, give me your arm,” he pulled out a sharpie from his pocket and searched for a bit of skin on Harry’s arm that was free of tattoos and started writing his number and then signed it, “There you go. Now if you don’t mind, I still have another tour to give, so I’m going now.”

“Okay then,” Harry looked down and tentatively read out the messy hand writing on his arm, “Louis Tam-lin-san?”

“Tomlinson. Tom-lin-sooooon.”

“Alright then Tour Guide Tomlinson, I will see you around,” Harry sad with a wink. Louis began to walk away when he felt Harry’s eyes on him, “nice ass by the way,” he said which resulted in Louis snapping his neck around to face him and shoot him an unimpressed look.

“Thanks, I guess.”

Once Louis got home after his shift he found Zayn sitting by their window smoking from a bong out the window, with Nirvana’s Lake of Fire humming from the record played in the corner of the room.

“Hey Lou, want a smoke?” Zayn asked in his low Glasgow accent, mouth still obviously full of smoke as he was breathing the words out. 

“Sure man. Hey, guess what?” Louis sat down next to him and took the bong and lighter from Zayn and took a long draw, which warranted an eyebrow quirk from Zayn, “A seriously hot guy who was on a tour asked for my number today. I think I’ve already pictured my life, three kids and dog with him.”

“That’s deep. Efron hot or Depp-DiCaprio hot?”

“Depp-DiCaprio.”

“Fuck. You should keep him. Or at least fuck him a few times.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see,” Louis leaned back against the wall and allowed the smoke to circulate around his body as he thought about big brown eyes and tanned, tattooed skin.


	2. St. Andrews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so the pair go on a wee date.
> 
> Warnings: recreational drug use and talk of sex although it doesn't actually happen yet.

Louis had the next day off, so lay in until the sun was so bright through his blinds that he couldn’t actually hack how annoying it was an had to get up. Zayn was already at work, which meant it was after 9am. He felt under his pillow for his iPhone and grabbed it to check the time. As he brought the screen to his face he saw a missed call from an unknown number. He felt his chest begin to heave with anticipation as he swiped right to return the call. Holding the phone to his ear, he started to bite the nails on his other hand out of nervousness.

“Hello,” he heard from the other end of the line. He could almost hear Harry’s smirk from the way he spoke.

“Yeah, hi, it’s Louis?”

“Knew it was you! Well, I want to take you on a date Tomlinson. Meet me at the train station, platform 4, tonight at half six.”

“Woah, woah. Okay, curly, just one thing, what if you’re a crazed axe murderer who wants to kidnap me?”

Harry jokingly signed down the phone, “Well, I’m Harry and I like cuddles and long walks on the beach.”

“I’m being serious,” Louis said, trying to harden his tone just to ensure he actually, you know, wasn’t an axe murderer.

“Ha ha, okay then. I’m 19, studying photography, as you probably know, I fancy you and I can tell you fancy me. Blah blah blah. Can’t you just look me up on Facebook like a normal person?” Harry laughed. Louis was kind of in shock at how much of an attitude this guy had considering they’ve barely even met, but he kind of liked it. Frankly, he liked a bit of sass as it gave him something to work with.

“Well, I will meet you at the station tonight, but I’m not going to your house in the country or anything like that…”

“House in the country? Sorry to disappoint mate, but I live in a tiny two bedroom flat in the shittest area of the city you could imagine. Don’t expect any miracles. And besides, we’re going to the St. Andrews for our dinner, you okay with that?”

“Well, I live in a studio so you win. Sounds good. I’ll see you at six.”

The pair said their goodbyes and hung up. Louis lay in his bed for a while, clutching his phone to his chest and smiling to himself. He’s never had much luck with boys. He didn’t come out until he came to university, part of the reason he was so eager to move away and make a fresh start, so apart from a couple of toothy blow jobs off a girl he knew in high school and the odd drunk kiss at a party, he didn’t start looking for anything that sexual or even remotely intimate until he moved away. He met a guy on his course in first year who he was seeing on and off for a few months but the guy was still in the closet so he would only have Louis over at his flat or go to Louis’ rather than any real dates. Apart from that its just been casual sex and one night stands, which is fine, but Louis is now 21 and likes the idea of a boyfriend and dating and cutesy things. 

After a day of getting baked, wanking several times in the shower and napping, six o’clock quickly approached and Louis found himself standing on Platform 4 of Edinburgh train station. The 6:06pm train to St. Andrews was only minutes away and still no sign of Harry. Louis slowly began to lose hope and mentally curse himself for being so naïve when a rather hot and bothered Harry suddenly ran up to the platform just as the train was approaching. Louis breathed out an exacerbated sigh of relief. Him and Harry didn’t even say anything to each other until they were sat at a table on the train.

“Well…” Louis said sassily. 

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I mean, nice to see you. Erm, well my flat mate Eleanor was supposed to give me a lift here ‘cus we stay on the other side of town but she is a student nurse and on a hospital work placement and her shift ran over so I had to get a bus and it was late and-“

“Harry, calm down, babe, I’m just teasing. You’re here. Nice to see you too,” Louis chirped with a smile after he realized Harry clearly did feel genuinely bad about being late, “So what restaurant are we going to?”

“It’s Italian food if that’s okay. That’s my favorite. Fill me full of pasta and I’m yours,” Harry said flirtatiously. 

“Well, fill me full of red wine and I’m a slut,” Louis blurted out without being able to hold himself back. He instantly regretted the statement but Harry started howling laughing (even though it wasn’t actually that funny…) so the awkwardness was quickly lifted.

“Oh, really Tomlinson?” Louis blushed at that and turned to look out the window of the train.

They arrived at the restaurant and Louis couldn’t take his eyes off of Harry and his charming wit. Even the way he talked to the serving staff and the bar staff was absolutely endearing. Always with a smile on his face showing his pearly white teeth and the conversation was always appropriate, which made Louis wonder why he is so sassy with him, but not with others? Maybe that’s a good thing? Maybe he’s being his natural self around Louis because he likes him?

The meal was delicious; the pair both ordered the same, bruschetta to start and a crab pomodoro for their main. The wine was also flowing well (maybe a little too well) and Louis was feeling a lot drunker than he should be due to the fact he smoked a joint before leaving the flat.

“So, let me get this right, you actually want to be one of those people who, like, dig to find jewels and things?”

“If you mean an Archaeologist, then yes, sort of, I don’t necessarily want to be the one digging, but the one orchestrating the entire site,” Louis said, slightly slurring his words before taking another sip of wine. It really was lovely wine, “and what do you want to do my love?”

“A fashion photographer. Edinburgh uni had a really good course and I wanted to go quite far from home so it seemed right. Vogue would be the dream, but I understand I’m going to have to start small, so I’ve applied for summer internships at all the local magazines and new papers just as a way to get my name out there.”

“Sounds interesting. You’d love my best pal Zayn. He’s an artsy type like yourself.”

“I’m sure he’s not as lovely as you,” Harry winked and sipped his drink.

“Do you want to stay at mine tonight?” Louis asked, completely flabbergasting Harry.

“Erm, well, don’t get me wrong, I do really like you, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”

Suddenly, Louis realized how he probably came across, “holy fuck, I am so sorry, please ignore that I asked. Shit. I always take things to far when I’ve had a drink. I really do apologize.”

“No, no, no! I mean, I want to, but I mean I’m not ready for sex…in general? If you know what I mean? You see, Louis, I’ve only been out for a couple of months, I mean, Eleanor always kind of knew, and my sister Gemma did too, but you’re the first guy I’ve gone on a date with, let alone if we had sex. So, maybe we should take it a bit slower, if that’s okay.”

“No, of course! I just assumed, that I’m not the first, because when you asked for my number, all your classmates acted like you’re always flirting.”

“Just because someone is a flirt, Louis, doesn’t mean they want sex…”

“I know that, I do. I’m sorry. I’ve fucked this up haven’t I?”

“No, not at all. I mean, its Saturday tomorrow so we could always have a movie night at my flat, or yours maybe? Rather than spending the night, that is.”

“I’m working 9-5, so I could come over for like 7 and ill swing by Tesco on the way home and get snacks and drinks?”

“Sounds fab. I’ll just go get the bill, yeah? I’ll meet you outside.”

“Wait, no, lets half the bill at least?”

“You just said you were buying the stuff for tomorrow night so this is my treat, ok?” Louis was going to protest but he just left it as he was too drunk and didn’t want to upset Harry any more so just went out side and pulled out a cigarette. Harry followed shortly after him and pulled out a cigarette of his own and they walked and smoked in comfortable silence to the train station around the corner.

They got off the train and walked to the exit, “Harry, look, I’m so sorry if I offended you tonight. Now, please believe me when I say this, I quite like you and I did have a really nice time. I’m not even that drunk any more, see!” Louis said as he jokingly walked in a straight line on the edge of the pavement.

“Don’t worry, Louis. You meant nothing by it and I am completely fine so no harm done, yeah? I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Ill text you my address, okay?” Harry said, and pressed a soft peck on Louis’ cheek before flagging down a taxi and hopping in it. 

Louis arrived back his flat after the short walk and just as he walked in he let out a startled scream at the view before him. In front of him were Zayn and none other than Niall from the Museum having full-blown sex on the faux fur rug in front of him, “What the fuck?” Louis shouted as he attempted to cover his eyes. Once he uncovered his eyes the pair were sitting next to each other with a blanket pulled up to their necks looking absolutely fucked.

“I’m sorry man, I assumed you were gonna stay at Harry’s!” Zayn panted.

“Yeah, well, next time, don’t just assume please. How the fuck do you pair know each other?”

“Matched on tinder mate,” Niall piped up, which warranted a very shady look from Zayn to which he then just shut up.

Within ten short minutes, Niall was gone and Louis and Zayn were settling into bed, “I’m sorry you had to see that. He’s just a fuck, don’t worry, I’m not going to make things complicated for you at work.”

“I fucking hope not!”

“I’m actually, kind of speaking to someone. Well, we’re not official or exclusive, so that’s why I’m still seeing other people, but Liam’s cool. He’s a guy who’s just got a job at the gallery. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

‘Okay, whatever you say, just remember that we share a studio flat please. Studio meaning no separate bedrooms.”

“I know, I know. Good night man.”

“Night, Zaynie.”

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING!!  
> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I feel like this is my best piece of writing yet and I can't wait to continue it. I hoping to have it finished ASAP but as you probably know, writers block can happen and I am a busy gal. Please feel free to write comments but remember, being nice is always nice.  
> Lots of love, J <3


End file.
